Liberal MP for Chisholm Julia Banks has announced that after the leadership drama last week she will not contest the next election, stating she had been bullied by people within her own party.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Banks said that the people in her traditionally Labor-held electorate wanted former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to remain as prime minister.
"I have received hundreds of emails and calls from my constituents and their voice has been very clear," she said. "They wanted Malcolm Turnbull's leadership as prime minister to continue.
"They wanted Julie Bishop to remain as our deputy and foreign minister. So did I."
STATEMENT
Banks said the leadership fight between Turnbull and home affairs minister Peter Dutton that ultimately resulted in Scott Morrison becoming prime minister on Friday was the final straw.
"I have always listened to the people who elected me and put Australia's national interest before internal political games, factional party figures, and self-proclaimed power-brokers and certain media personalities who bear vindictive, mean-spirited grudges intent on settling personal scores," she said.
The MP said she had experienced "bullying and intimidation" from both within her own party and from the Labor party.
"I will always stand for equality regardless of people's heritage, sexuality or gender," she said. Banks said women in particular were subject to bullying and intimidation in media, politics and business.
"In anticipating my critics saying I'm 'playing the gender card' — I say this: Women have suffered in silence for too long and in this last 12 months the world has seen many courageous women speak out. To young women and men reading this announcement — I say I've only ever aspired to inspire."
Banks won the marginal Victorian seat at the last election, with a narrow 3.4% edge over Labor now after redistribution. It is one of several seats Labor is looking to win back at the next election, a job that is expected to be much easier now that the incumbent is not contesting the seat.
Banks said that she would be taking a few days off before parliament returns on September 10 because of the emotional toll the events of last week had on her.
"I ask simply that in the months ahead that people be kind," she said. "That's the Australian way."
Turnbull is set to resign from his seat of Wentworth in the eastern suburbs of Sydney on Friday, sparking a by-election to be held on October 6.
Polling conducted by ReachTEL in Wentworth found that even without candidates announced yet, the margin in the otherwise safe Liberal seat has been slashed, with the Liberal-Labor split 50/50 two-party preferred.
#ReachTEL Poll Federal Seat of Wentworth 2 Party Preferred: LIB 50 (-17.8 since election) ALP 50 (+17.8) #auspol
Sydney city Liberal councillor Christine Forster, the sister of former prime minister Tony Abbott, is being urged to run in the seat, as is fellow councillor and former head of the Australian Medical Association Kerryn Phelps.
If the Liberals lose the seat it will cost the Morrison government its one-seat majority in the House of Representatives and will force the government to rely on crossbench votes to pass legislation.
Former Liberal deputy leader and foreign minister Julie Bishop announced she would stay in the parliament as a backbencher and gave no clues that she would be quitting at the next election.